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| 90,000 people expected to move from South Waziristan |
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Islamabad
National Assembly Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday said that around 80,000 to 90,000 people are expected to move from South Waziristan, if the operation starts against terrorists there.
Talking to journalists, the deputy speaker said that these Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will move to areas of Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu where they will require assistance from the concerned quarters.
Earlier, addressing the handing over ceremony of 23 ambulances by USAID/PAIMAN to NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir health departments at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Faisal Kundi said this assistance will help women to safely shift to hospitals particularly during pregnancy.
He said every year, 5.9 million women die due to pregnancy related complications, one of the main reasons for which is delay in transporting them to hospitals.
He added each year, globally, four million babies die within the first 28 days of life and 3.3 million or even more are stillborn and 6.6 million die before their fifth birthday. He said Pakistan inherited a weak health care delivery system at the time of independence and over the years we have been able to create a reasonable network of health care delivery system.
He added the present health care delivery system has improved in terms of medical institutions and personnel. However, he added in spite of steady improvements, the health care delivery system has not been able to properly respond to health needs of the masses and the country is confronted with challenges like high population growth rate, increasing infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, and low birth weight babies. He said that the situation of maternal, newborn and child health is not so good and despite some improvements, the country still lags behind in terms of health and population outcomes. He said communicable, infectious and parasitic diseases still remain a severe burden. Malaria and Tuberculosis have re- emerged and are posing serious threat to the national health while malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiency disorders are still widespread, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson said that 23 ambulances being provided to NWFP and AJK will help women of the area during emergencies as every moment counts.
She said such facility was imperative for local women as many deaths can be prevented by timely shifting of expected mothers to hospitals through fully equipped ambulances.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
